Orthopedic appliance



Oct. 21, 1941. v w. J. B bs 2,260,270

ORTHOPEDIC APPLIANCE Filed Dec. 15, 1937 INVENTOR. MZFRED [5006.

IflS ATTORNEYS.

"of such orthopedic appliances are made.

in Figure 1;

Patented Oct. 21, 1941 U I D TATES ATENT OFFICE ORTHOPEDIO'APPLIANOE Application December 15,1937, S'erialNo'. 179,85 9

5 Claims. (Cl.,36-71) This invention relates generally to orthopedic I appliances.

Orthopedic appliances of the character which may be inserted and removed at will from the shoes of individuals whose feet'may require support have heretofore been produced in a variety of forms. Sponge rubber has become largely used as the material of which the body portions While there are'many advantages to sponge rubber, it has heretofore been difficult to provide an orthopedic device having a sponge rubber body and which is capable of adjustment to the varying conditions of the feet either intially or after the "feet have begun'to improve.

The object of the present invention, generally stated, is to provide an orthopedic appliance which is capable of variation with reference to the amount of support which will be provided thereby.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an orthopedic appliance in which the supporting elements are so constructed and arranged as to provide a' maximum amount of support 'pe'dic"appliance constructed in accordance with the-present invention;

Figure 2 is a plan View of the appliance shown Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3 3 of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a perspective view of an auxiliary wedge adapted to be employed in connection with the orthopedic appliance of the present invention; e

Figure 5 is a view in side elevation of the wedge shown in Figure 4;

Figuredis 'a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of Figure 1; I

Figure '7 is a bottom plan view of a pocket assembly employed in'the embodiment shown in Figure 1, and

Figure 8 is a perspective view of 'a pad adapted to be employed in connection with the orthopedic appliance of the present invention.

rubber, may be provided with one or more pockets adapted'to receive auxiliary wedges or pads for providing variations in the amount of support which will be supplied by the device at the different regions. The presentinvention' further contemplates so forming the'main body of the cornpressible material that supporting wedges and pads'may be inserted and removed from the aforesaid pockets without causing the material of the mainbody to crowd and cramp the feet in adjac'ent regions.

For example, such a pocket arranged to receive an appropriately shaped wedge or lift may bepr'ovide'd in the metatarsal region, the longitudinal arch region or elsewhere. In this way if support is not required at any particular region the wedges or lifts may'be removed from the pocketsthe'realt; or if greater or less support is required the wedges 'may'be increased or diminishe'd'as the case maybe.

More specifically the present invention contemplates'the arrangement of a pocket beneath that portion 'ofthe orthopedic appliance which will underlie the'longit'udinal arch of afoot it is used in connection with; Into such a pocket auxiliary supporting wedges or pads to provide the desired or requisite support for feet undergoing treatment may be'ins'erted and removed at will in accordance with condition of the feet. In orthopedic devices of the kind referred to there has heretofore been provided a laterally extending lip for supporting the inside of the longitudinal arch of the foot and, while the present invenit is a further feature of this invention that such lip or lips be made of substantially less thickness than the main body portion of 'the orthopedic device andthat tlfe'comp'res'sible material of the body be broken sharply, as distinguished from tapered gradually; into such a laterally extending lip.

sides in the provision of the pad receiving pocket in the heel region" of the orthopedic appliance. Such a pocket may be provided with pads of the thickness desired to accomplish the desired adju'stmerit of the feet, but a particularly important 'aspect'of this feature is the prolongation of the useful life of such orthopedic appliances. In orthopedic appliances of the character referred to it has been observed that failure of the device commonly first exhibits itself as a fatigue depression in the heel region; butin accordance with the presentinvention, when such fatigue of the body material'be'gins to exhibit itself, the device may be restored to normal condition'by the insertion of a suitable supporting pad of compressible material in the pocket arranged at the heel portion.

In the accompanying drawings one'embodiment of the "present invention is shown, and for the provided in the exterior strap member 6. be understood, of course, that in lieuof using the various features of improvement contemplated by the present invention are particularlyapplicable to orthopedic appliancesof the character disclosed in said Closson patent, it is to be understood that the featurespf the present invention are not limited to orthopedic appliances of the Closson type, but on the contrary'are applicable at large to a great variety of orthopedic appliances. For example, the features of the present invention may be applied to orthopedic appliances which are arranged to extend for the full length of a shoe, so that the appliance is in 'the'. form of an inner sole.

In'the embodiment illustrated in the drawings a body I of compressible materialsuch as sponge rubber is formed to the desired shape as, for example, the body I may be made heavier in the central or arch supporting region than it is in the heel region. Moreover, the forward portion of the body may be thickened in zone 2 so as to provide metatarsal support. In general, however, the shape and configuration of the body portion 1 may be'in conformity with the usual practice in the manufacture of suchdevices' While in the embodiment shown in the drawings, although not *so-illustrated, itwill be understood that the ."mtatarsal support 2 may, in lieu of being per- -manently connected with thebodyas shown, be

made separate, and a pocket provided for insertion, removal or adjustment of the metatarsal support when and as desired. Such a removable metatarsal support is particularly desirable in case the orthopedic appliance is made in the form of 'a full inner sole.

The lower surface of the body portion I at its 1 forward end 3 may be skived so as to expose the cellular structure of. the sponge rubber and facilitate holding the device in proper position within a'shoe. Rearwardlyof the ski'ved'p'ortion 3 a pocket'assembly 4 is applied to the lower surface of body I. 'Such a pocket assembly may comprise a liner 5" which may be of leather or any other suitable material and an exterior strap member 6. In the embodiment shown the pocket assembly d'may be preformed by running a line of stitching "I through liner 5 and strap member 6 adjacent their forward ends so that strap mem- I the embodiment'shown a further line of stitching I0 is employed for connecting the'liner 5 and strap member Btogether about the heel portion,

;' but strap member 6, is' arranged toextend marginally beyond the margin ofv liner 5 as shown in Figure'7.-, The linev of stitching III forms an enclosed pocket H between these members at the heel region, and in order to secure access to pocket II] a suitable open'ing'such as a slit I2 may be It will stitching for connecting the parts together in hesive, maybe employe'd'so' long as the liner 5 is left disconnected-from strap member 5 1n e-' regions where it is desired to provide pockets between them.

The pocket assembly 4 may then be applied to body I and in the embodiment illustrated in the drawing the pocket assembly is so applied and connected as by adhesive to body I that body I is bowed longitudinally as shown in Figure 1. In order to accomplish this disposition of the parts it will be understood that, in the space between line of stitching I and line of stitching 8, liner 5 is slightlyshorter than strap 6 so that liner 5 will remain in tension, causing both body I and strap 6 to bow asshown in the drawings. The bowing of body I is accomplished by applying the liner 5 taut to body I while the latter is bowed or otherwise has the cells of its lower surface under compression. It will be understood, however, that the opposite arrangement of these parts may be provided and-some of the advantages of the present invention secured; that is to say, liner 5 and body I may be bowedby tension of strap 6. As a further alternative strap 6 alone maybe bowed.

For insertion in thepocket 9 a suitable auxiliary support such as a wedge, lift or pad may be provided. Such auxiliary support may be made in a variety of forms or shapes and from any chosen material. In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, however, the auxiliary support is of arcuate wedge shape and'provided with a body portion I3 of sponge rubber or 'other'compressible material and facing I4 of leather or the like. a i j In order to provide for locating the additional support at the most efiective point the auxiliary support may be madeof somewhat less'width than the width of pocket 9. Such an arrangement provides for variation in the longitudinal position of the auxiliary support. 'In order to prevent displacement of the auxiliary support once it is positioned properly within the pocket.

9, the arcuate surface of the ,body portion I3 if made of sponge rubber may-be skived so as to expose the cellular structure thereof, The exposed cell structure of the sponge rubber grips the adjacent pocket members and hence restrains itself against movement. Suchan-arrangement is particularly effective if .the exposed cellular sponge rubber surface is arranged to contact with the flesh side of a leather member such as 6, as shown in Figure 1. For ease of insertion, however, it is desirable to face such a sponge rubber member with-a smooth layer such as a facing of leather I4. Accordingly, a device is continuous contour with the upper surface of the elevation or extent of the auxiliary support provided by members in pocket '9, the lateral pressure applied by the up-bending of lip I5 will "remain substantially constant.

In pocket II at the heel end of the device a pad or lift of anydesired shape may be employed,

it being understood that the thickness of such pad or lift will be determined largely by the conditions encountered and that a plurality of such pads may be provided when desired. In the embodiment illustrated, however, where the pad or lift for use in pocket II is inserted through a slit such as l2, the pad should be formed of a size such as to be readily insertable through slit 2. One embodiment of such a pad or lift is illustrated in Figure 8 and may comprise a body portion ll of sponge rubber or other compressible material which may be faced on one or both sides with a thin layer 18 of leather, cloth or the like.

Of course, the upper surface of the entire orthopedic appliance may be covered with a facing I!) of leather, cloth or the like. In fact one or more of the lift-receiving pockets, hereinbefore described, may be formed directly beneath such a top facing as I9 and many of the advantages of the construction, hereinbefore specifically described, will be achieved. In the case of such orthopedic appliances as may be built into the shoe in the course of its construction it is in fact desirable that the lift-receiving pockets be arranged above the cushioning element rather than below the same, as described hereinbefore with reference to the embodiment shown in the drawing.

While in the foregoing description reference has been made to the use of sponge rubber as the material of which the cushion element is formed, it is to be understood that many other materials are suitable for this purpose, as for example cork, cotton, felt and in fact leather. While leather in its natural condition does not provide any substantial resilience or cushioning, it is, nevertheless, adaptable for the treatment of some foot conditions where it is desired that a minimum or a controlled amount of cushioning be provided. This may be accomplished by the use of lifts or body portions of the orthophedic device formed of laminated leather and rubber, or by a mixture of shredded leather and rubber wherein the proportions of the ingredients are so varied as to give a controlled amount of r'esilience.

From the foregoing description it is believed that the orthopedic appliance of the present invention will be fully understood and the features of improvement therein embodied readily appreciated. Such a device may be inserted in the shoes of individuals whose feet require auxiliary support in the usual manner, but the device lends itself to variations and adjustment in accordance with the actual condition of the feet.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the present invention accomplishes its objects and that an orthopedic appliance of a highly versatile type is provided without substantially increasing the manufacturing cost thereof above that of its forebears in the art.

While in the foregoing description a detailed disclosure has been made of one embodiment of the invention, it is not to be understood that the invention is limited to that embodiment. It is realized that many modifications, variations and adaptations of the features of improvement hereinbefore disclosed will present themselves to those skilled in the art without departing from.

the spirit of this invention. It is to be distinctly understood, therefore, that such modifications, variations and the use of such'individual features and combinations of features as do not depart from the spirit of this invention are, al-

templated and within the scope of the appended claims.

scribed, comprising, a body of compressible material, a strap extending across the bottom of said body and connected thereto at spaced points but disconnected between such points, means separate from said straps for maintaining said body bowed, and a removable wedge of compressible material between said strap and said body.

2. An orthopedic appliance of the kind described, comprising, a body of compressible material, a strap extending across the bottom of said body and connected thereto at spaced points but disconnected between such points, a liner connected to the bottom of said body between such spaced points, and a removable wedge of compressible material between said strap and said liner.

3. An orthopedic appliance of the kind described, comprising, a cushion. member of compressible material, a pocket assembly arranged on the bottom of saidcushion member, said pocket assembly comprising a liner and a strap secured together along pocket forming lines but disconnected between such lines, said strap being longer than the liner between said pocket forming lines, said pocket assembly being'connected to the cushion member so as to provide a pocket beneath the part corresponding to the longitudinal arch of the foot and to maintain the cushion member bowed.

4. An orthopedic appliance of the kind described, comprising, a body of compressible material, a pocket assembly arranged on the bottom ofsaid body to maintain the body bowed, said pocket assembly comprising a liner and a strap secured together along pocket forming lines but disconnected between such lines said strap being longer than the liner between said pocket forming lines, said pocket assembly being connected to the body so as to provide a pocket beneath the part corresponding to the longitudinal arch of the foot and another pocket at the heel part.

5. An orthopedic appliance of the kind described, comprising, a body of sponge rubber having the forward end of its lower surface tapered and exposed, said body having a laterally extending lip of substantially less thickness than said body, the upper surface of said lip being in continuous contour relation with the remainder of the body, said body having on its lower surface a sharp break to the reduced thickness of the lip, a linerconnected to the lower surface of the body rearwardly of said tapered forward end and extending into the heel region, a strap connected to said body rearwardly of said tapered forwardend and extending into and connected to said body in the heel region thereof but being disconnected from said body for a substantial distance adjacent the longitudinal arch portion, said strap and liner being connected together intermediate the ends thereof to form separate pockets at heel and arch portions,'and pads in said pockets. I

WILFRED J. BOOS. 

